GAME REPORT

Shavonte Zellous was outstanding for Galatasaray odeabank against Sparta&K on Thursday

A spectacular first-half carried Galatasaray odeabank to another convincing EuroLeague Women win after they completed a 63-50 success against Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje to preserve their unbeaten status.

The Turkish giants took control of Group C after delivering a whirlwind twenty minutes of destruction against their Russian opponents, effectively wrapping up their third win of the campaign by the time both teams hit the locker-room at the interval.

It was a one-way street from the tip-off, with Galatasaray underlining their strength in depth by racing into a 20-7 first quarter lead off the back of the in-form Shavonte Zellous and worse was to follow for Sparta&K.

The visitors couldn't prevent Galatasaray scoring the first seven points of the second period as the hosts further cemented their utter dominance of the contest with some terrific defence.

Down by 25 points at the break and having only just scraped into double-digits with 11 points, Sparta&K found their feet when they returned to the floor and clawed back a considerable chunk of pride with a vastly improved second-half display.

Led by Russian national team forward Natalia Vieru who finished with an impressive double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, Sparta&K made considerable inroads into the defecit.

They outscored Galatasaray across the third and fourth quarters, but couldn't quite reduce the arrears to single-digits to apply any pressure.

Zellous finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists, whilst Spanish ace Alba Torrens top-scored with 17 points as Galatasaray claimed their first win against Russian opposition in four attempts.

COACH QUOTES

Ekrem Memnun, Galatasarary odeabank coach: "It was a big win for us. We were excellent on defense in the first half and forced them to take poor shots. They missed some open shots, thanks to our pressure on them. Unfortunately we lost our concentration when we got the big lead. But, we have to accept that. I’ve talked to the players and I hope that we can keep it up with the same energy and discipline. You know that one single point can matter in EuroLeague. At the end, I want to congratulate my players for the win and our amazing fans for making that great atmosphere for us.

Şebnem Kimyacıoğlu, Galatasaray odeabank: "We are very pleased with the result. We want to stay unbeaten. I think that we've been playing better with every game."

Alexander Vasin, Sparta&K MR Vidnoje coach:"First of all, I want to congratulate Galatasaray. They were excellent. This is a 10th consecutive win for them and they have great players. It was a tough game for us, psychologically. We missed a lot of shots in the first half and of course winning with this kind of low percentage is too difficult. We were better in the second half and it gave hope to us for the rest of the season."

Evgenia Belyakova, Sparta&K MR Vidnoje:"Galatasaray is a great team, I want to congratulate them. We are young team and were too excited on our way to Istanbul and this made the game more difficult than usual."

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COACH QUOTES

Ekrem Memnun, Galatasarary odeabank coach: "It was a big win for us. We were excellent on defense in the first half and forced them to take poor shots. They missed some open shots, thanks to our pressure on them. Unfortunately we lost our concentration when we got the big lead. But, we have to accept that. I’ve talked to the players and I hope that we can keep it up with the same energy and discipline. You know that one single point can matter in EuroLeague. At the end, I want to congratulate my players for the win and our amazing fans for making that great atmosphere for us.

Şebnem Kimyacıoğlu, Galatasaray odeabank: "We are very pleased with the result. We want to stay unbeaten. I think that we've been playing better with every game."

Alexander Vasin, Sparta&K MR Vidnoje coach:"First of all, I want to congratulate Galatasaray. They were excellent. This is a 10th consecutive win for them and they have great players. It was a tough game for us, psychologically. We missed a lot of shots in the first half and of course winning with this kind of low percentage is too difficult. We were better in the second half and it gave hope to us for the rest of the season."

Evgenia Belyakova, Sparta&K MR Vidnoje:"Galatasaray is a great team, I want to congratulate them. We are young team and were too excited on our way to Istanbul and this made the game more difficult than usual."